


Cirque d'Akuma: The Audition

by silveradept



Series: Cirque d'Akuma [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Acrobats Aerialists and Clowns Oh My, Adult Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Adult Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adult Miraculous Ladybug Cast, Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, ML Secret Santa, post-identity reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:29:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21816670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silveradept/pseuds/silveradept
Summary: Adrien is going to go support Marinette's tryouts for a varieté that's opening up soon. He wasn't expecting support to involve a room full of clowns, but what's a few laughs when you're doing it for love?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Cirque d'Akuma [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1660402
Comments: 22
Kudos: 68





	Cirque d'Akuma: The Audition

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ming85.tumblr.com](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=ming85.tumblr.com).
  * Inspired by [A Circus Doodle](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/542725) by ming85. 



> Written for [ming85 @ tumblr](https://ming85.tumblr.com/) as part of the [Miraculous Ladybug Secret Santa Exchange](https://mlsecretsanta.tumblr.com/).

Adrien slipped through the door as quietly as he could, closing it softly behind him. Ahead, he could hear the instructor, Mme. Gladieux, calling out encouragement and corrections to the forms of the students. Perfect. He'd managed to sneak in before class ended. Taking up a position where he could observe without drawing too much attention, he watched Marinette roll down the silk before standing on something he couldn't see and holding her pose.

He always loved getting to see her perform. He'd loved it before, when she was the mysterious high-flying Ladybug that had captured his heart, but here, where they weren't fighting akuma, he'd seen an extra dimension to her flips and spins. She looked happy, and Adrien would do whatever was necessary to keep her that way.

"You're thirsty, dude," Nino said softly beside him.

"Am not," Adrien replied. "It's just been a while since we've been done before Marinette."

Nino snorted. "Your jaw is on the floor, man. Make sure you don't trip over it."

They'd tried aerial silks together as a double-date dare from Nino and Alya. Adrien had done well enough, only falling off few silks a few times in the initial lesson. Marinette had taken to aerials like she had been on silks all her life, and it was clear to both of them that she wasn't coming down any time soon.

After a couple of times where he (well, Chat Noir) almost didn't dodge a high-speed akuma attack, Adrien had suggested parkour dates with Nino, Kim, and Alix while Marinette was at silks practice. They had mostly mapped out the 21st arrondissement by workout difficulty and were trying to find some new routes to try some new tricks, but Adrien was mostly doing it to try and keep pace with his Lady.

Adrien watched as Marinette leaned away and let go with her hands. Even though he knew she was being safe, he still worried she would fall over, even as she gently settled into a position as if she were laying down on the sky itself, the silks wrapped firmly against her waist. He slowly let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"Do you think we should invite Marinette to H.O.R.S.E. next week?" Nino asked.

"She'd crush us," Adrien said without hesitation.

Marinette turned a flip out of the silks, landing so she was staring straight at their hiding spot. Adrien and Nino both shrank against the wall, hoping Marinette wouldn't notice.

"Good work, everyone," Mme. Gladieux called. "See you again next week."

Marinette waved goodbye to the other people in the class and swung herself back up into the silks, wrapping her legs and ankles tightly. When she seemed satisfied with the wrap, she swung herself around to face the boys.

"Come here, Adrien," she said, laughing and crooking a finger at Adrien.

Nino laughed. "You owe me five euros," he told Adrien as they made their way around to Marinette.

"I may as well just pay Marinette directly," Adrien said. "If I know her, we just made her bet with Alya."

"Maybe, dude, but I'd like to at least hold the money before Alya gets it."

Adrien grinned, then blushed as Marinette lowered herself down on the silks until she was face-to-face with Adrien—upside-down. She reached out and cradled his head before kissing him. Adrien's blush intensified.

"You went with the Chat Noir tonight," he said, trying to get his brain to reboot and say something useful. It was difficult, however, with Marinette in the black leotard and leggings with a green stylized pawprint on each leg. Adrien liked it when Marinette was wearing something form-fitting, showing off the muscles that he knew, from experience, could pick him up and throw him across the room.

It was even more difficult to form coherent sentences with her hanging there in front of him, demonstrating the flexibility and strength he had appreciated when she was Ladybug.

"Well, of course I did, Adrien. You got them for me," Marinette said, slowly pulling herself back up into a seated position on the silks before somehow turning around and rewrapping the silks in the same set of movements. Adrien had seen her do it so many times, and yet his brain couldn't register everything at once well enough to understand the flow of how it went. That was why she was Ladybug, he reckoned. As Chat Noir, things were simple: Hit things until they gave up the butterfly. If they didn't give it up immediately, hit them harder, and possibly with Cataclysm, until they did.

As Marinette let herself slide into the splits, supported on the silks only with her legs wrapped, an image of Lady Noire flashed through his head—the black and green combination had captivated his imagination when he'd seen her first. He'd suggested that Marinette grow her hair out long enough to have Lady Noire's braid all the time, once he knew it was her underneath the mask, but she'd suggested it would be tough to take care of, and added that despite what his preferences were, she didn't particularly like whipping herself with her own hair every time she made a sudden stop or fell over. Adrien hadn't been convinced of the wisdom of it until Marinette had whipped _him_ gently with her hair braided, and then suggested how much more the long braid would hurt at full speed. Adrien had wisely let the subject drop.

"Earth to Adrien," Marinette said, waving a hand in front of his face, having dismounted from the silks and started her cooldown stretches while he was daydreaming.

"Hm?" he said. "You said something, didn't you?"

Nino started laughing. "Remember when Marinette was the one blue-screening all the time when you were around, Adrien?"

Adrien reddened again, and rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand. "What did you say, Marinette?" he asked.

"Nino invited me to play H.O.R.S.E. with you on your next run," she said, leaning into the stretch and kissing him lightly.

"Traitor!" Adrien said to Nino. "I told you, she'll destroy us!"

"She'll destroy _you_ , because you'll be too busy getting distracted to do what she's doing when we get to Follow-The-Leader," Nino said. "The rest of us will do just fine."

Marinette asked Adrien to brace her for a stretch, which stalled the conversation for a little bit and allowed him to collect some of his thoughts, while another part continued to admire the way that Marinette could make things like basic stretches look elegant and graceful. The first time she'd bent herself backward over her chair to boop his nose, he'd nearly insisted she get herself checked to make sure she didn't have a condition. Sabine had eventually been able to reassure him that Marinette was fine by showing him some pictures of a younger Marinette on a balance beam, but there were still times where Adrien wasn't sure a body could bend like that safely.

Nino's phone chimed. He pulled it from his pocket and checked the screen. "Alya and Nora are home. Time to go be the perfect boyfriend," he said, smiling. "Catch you tomorrow."

Marinette finished her stretches and said goodbye to Mme. Gladieux. She laced her fingers in Adrien's as they walked back to Tom and Sabine's, making him smile. It was still new to him, that the person he'd been chasing and the person chasing him were the same. He suspected Plagg and Tikki had both grown so tired of watching them dance around each other that they'd both arranged to get "lost" at the right time for the other to overhear the search.

They'd had a long discussion after each of them knew the other's identity. Marinette had fallen head-over-heels for Adrien, and Chat Noir had pledged himself to Ladybug forever, but Ladybug had serious issues with Chat Noir's inappropriate flirtatiousness during battle and Adrien had been concerned about Marinette's perfectionism and tendency to catastrophize anything that deviated from her ideal. They'd agreed to go slowly together and check in often to make sure things weren't going in a bad direction. It had turned out well for both of them so far. Now that they weren't so desperate for someone they worried was unattainable, the extremes of their behaviors had become less pronounced.

"Do you want to come up?" Marinette asked, when they were standing in front of the bakery's doors.

"I have an early start tomorrow," Adrien replied. "I'd love to, but the photographers want a model that can smile, rather than one whose eyes they have to pry open." He brought Marinette's hand up to his lips and kissed it good night, before kissing her goodnight as well.

* * *

"So I wanted to know if you could be my moral support for the audition tomorrow," Marinette concluded, looking hopeful.

"Tomorrow?" Adrien blinked. "Do you already have a routine planned?"

"Sure," Marinette replied. "They'll have some aerial equipment there, so I can show off some of my silks work. And I've been practicing some of my old floor routines, too."

"I think it's an amazing idea, Marinette," Adrien replied. "Have you thought about what you might do if you're accepted as an act?"

"The same thing we do every time we have to juggle our responsibilities. And the rehearsals are at night, so it won't interfere with the bakery." Marinette smiled, but Adrien saw the worry the rest of her face held behind it. Marinette liked designing clothes, baking sweets, and saving the city from purple butterflies, but Jagged Stone didn't need an album cover or a tour costume regularly, and Marinette hadn't made any more headway with any fashion house, despite her portfolio and her EDLCS degree. Adrien had a feeling he knew who might be responsible, but he could never get good enough proof to do anything about it.

While Tom and Sabine were really good at giving Marinette space, she still felt like if she couldn't find another profession, she'd be obligated to take over the bakery when Tom and Sabine decided to retire. If what Marinette said about her grandfather's baking habits was true, that might be never, but Adrien knew Marinette wanted to make a name for herself, instead of just being another Dupain-Cheng running the family business. If it meant becoming the headliner of a local varieté and working her way up, then she could count on Adrien's support.

Adrien initially thought Marinette had asked more people than him for moral support when he turned up at the meeting place the next day. Several of his classmates from Collège Françoise Dupont were standing outside, waiting to get in.

"Oh, hey, everybody. Guess Marinette is more nervous than I thought," he said.

Everyone looked at him quizzically.

"You're not all here to support Marinette for her audition?" he asked. They all shook their heads.

"You're looking at the future ringmistress for the Cirque d'Akuma!" Alya said, pointing dramatically to the sky. "Or, if not that, I can at least run their social media team," she added. "Ladyblogging gets me a ton of exposure, but donations are barely keeping up with the server costs associated with the most authoritative news source on Paris's masked heroes."

Adrien made a mental note to find an unnoticed account and set up another anonymous monthly pledge to the Ladyblog's crowdfunding site.

"Okay, so what are you doing here, then, Nino?"

"Sound design and composition, dude," Nino said. "I figured you were here to audition for the pit, with your piano skills."

Adrien waved Nino off. "You know he'd make sure I got mysteriously scheduled for photo shoots whenever practice or performance dates were." Adrien had long since learned how to manage his schedulers so he could have some amount of a social life, but pushing too far often meant retaliation involving month-long shoots on islands where contact was limited, if it existed at all.

"Does anyone think that it's weird that someone is basing an entire circus show around Ladybug and the akuma that terrorize Paris?"

"Nope," Alix said. "It's a pretty common theme these days. I heard there's a burlesque show somewhere that has heroes and akumas on a regular rotation."

"Oh, yeah, I heard about that," Nathaniel said. "I also heard their Chat Noir is completely drool-worthy when he does a routine on a pole that's been made up to look like his fighting staff."

"Does anyone think it's weird that so many of us who have been akumatized are auditioning for the roles?" Adrien asked.

"Also nope," Alya said. "Why should they have to accept some poor substitute when they can get the original Lady WiFi to emcee?"

"We're the O.G. akumatized," Nino said, laughing. "Accept no substitutes."

By the time Marinette arrived, Adrien had discovered Nathaniel was there to drop off samples for graphic design, Alix was auditioning a strength act, and Kim was going to try to be one of the clowns. Adrien seemed to be the only one who wasn't trying to join in on the acts. When he said he was there for moral support, he got a bored look from the front desk person.

"Told you that joke wouldn't work," Kim said, tossing a packet of papers in front of the clerk and putting an arm around Adrien's shoulder. "He's with me," he said to the check-in clerk.

"I can see that," they said dryly. "If you're going to be flying, go to my left. If you're staying on the ground, go to my right."

Kim and the others led Adrien as Marinette headed down the opposite way. How was he going to be her moral support if they couldn't see each other?

First Alya peeled off, then Nino, then Alix, and finally, Nathaniel as Kim walked on.

"Kim, what am I doing here?" Adrien said as they approached the clown audition room.

"You're going to be moral support for Marinette, right?"

Adrien nodded.

"Only way you can do that is if you can make it into the same space as she is. So, even if you're not going to be part of the show, you'd better act like you are. You ready?" Kim said, grinning at him.

"No."

"Good! Keep that attitude in your head as we go, and I'll bet you make it to the main floor in no time." Kim threw open the door and pushed Adrien inside before him.

"Hey, everybody!" Kim said cheerily. "I brought a newbie with me. Say hi to Adrien!"

The room was full of other people, who turned to stare at Adrien. Adrien froze, convinced he'd just let Kim make the worst mistake of his life. An uncomfortable moment passed. Then everyone started laughing.

"Oh, he'll be good at this!" one of the people said between guffaws. "Where did you find him, Kim?"

"Picked him up off the street," Kim said. "You know how we love strays."

"Oh, does that mean he's single?" One of the other men eyed Adrien appreciatively.

"Ugh, I wish," Kim said. "His girlfriend is trying out as an aerialist."

"Good ones are always taken, aren't they?"

Kim nodded sympathetically.

"Uh, Kim, how do you know all of these people?" Adrien asked.

"We do impro comedy together. You should come see us some night! It'll be a blast, unless you secretly think Hawkmoth should be the rightful ruler of Paris."

The entire room, Kim included, performed a complex gesture that Adrien only belatedly realized was likely composed of as many obscenities as could be performed simultaneously by two hands.

The door opened to admit one more person to the crowded room. "Michel!" the room chorused.

"How did _you_ get put in charge?" someone exclaimed to Adrien's left.

"I'm the one least likely to break the camera by 'accident', you jokers," Michel retorted. "Okay, settle down. Here's how it's going to go. There are a few clown positions open for the Cirque, but you're all auditioning for the greatest clown of them all and the butt of every joke that can be made to work with him: Hawkmoth."

Several snickers passed back and forth among the room.

"Your morning is going to individually consist of a short interview and cold-reading a monologue. Once those are done, we'll pair you up and run you through some exercises, and then pick groups and have them do things. All of the solo auditions and group work will be filmed for review. They tell me we can expect to know within a week who's in and who is still going to be doing impro. Good luck, everybody." Michel looked at the clipboard. "Agreste, you're first."

Adrien followed him a couple rooms over.

"Have you ever performed in front of a live audience?" Michel asked as he checked the focus.

"I've been a model for most of my life," Adrien replied.

"Okay," Michel said. "So I can tell you your mark is that tape strip by your feet, and you understand me." Adrien nodded and stood on the mark. "How do you feel about makeup?"

"I've been a model for most of my life," Adrien repeated. Michel laughed.

The interview asked questions Adrien had answered many times before, about him, allergies, the schedule, and whether he was comfortable making fun of a local terrorist in front of a live audience.

Then Michel asked if he'd ever taken a pie to the face.

"Not recently," Adrien replied, "but there was that Red Nose Day stunt a few years ago."

"Would you be okay with taking one for the show?" Michel followed up.

Adrien thought about it, and nodded. It would make a fun story to tell Marinette.

In hindsight, Adrien felt like he should have figured out what would happen next. As he read the monologue in his best Hawkmoth impression, adding the flourishes and laughter that he had suffered through as Chat Noir, he saw Michel load a catapult off to the side with a cream pie. Michel gave him an inquiring thumbs-up to ask permission if it was okay to launch. Adrien gave him a thumbs-up back underneath where the camera wouldn't pick it up even as he continued monologuing.

"Hey, Hawkmoth!" was the only warning he got. Adrien turned just slightly to make sure he took the pie full in the face, and then finished the script.

Michel stopped the recording and offered Adrien a towel.

"Good take," he said, nodding. When Adrien finished cleaning himself, Michel took him to a different room.

"Now comes the waiting," he said, closing the door.

* * *

At lunch, Adrien got to know more of the comedy troupe Kim worked with and some of their favorite scenes over the years they'd been working together. Kim had just smiled enigmatically when Adrien had asked him about where the application came from.

When they were paired up, the first exercise was to try to get your partner to laugh, without touching them and without saying a word. Within two minutes. Adrien did his very best impression of his father, in bearing and attitude, framing various objects with his fingers for their fashion value, before dismissing them with a sniff. And a silly walk. His partner, Luc, lost it on the silly walk about a minute in.

When it was Adrien's turn to last against Luc, he caught a glimpse of the aerialists auditioning. Marinette was on the silks, and while he watched, she let go completely of the silk she was holding on to and dropped forward. Adrien's heart leapt into his throat as she toppled over, only to be caught by the knot she had tied around her legs beforehand, hanging there for what seemed like an eternity before grabbing the silks and continuing with her routine.

"…only ever got him to crack once," he heard Kim saying, when his attention re-focused. "I never could figure out his secret."

"Whatever it is, it's good," Luc said. "I couldn't get him to _smile_ while the rest of you were howling within a minute."

Adrien smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Luc," he said. "I guess I got distracted by something."

"Don't apologize," Kim said. "If you put that focus to work in a routine, you could be the ultimate straight man."

After the first scare, the afternoon began to blur together, punctuated by occasional glimpses of Marinette, usually right before she did a maneuver that required her to let go of the apparatus she was using. Adrien was terrible with juggling, not being able to do much with the balls and clubs, but managed to find a rhythm with the diabolo and turn a few tricks that he had seen Ladybug pull. He felt completely outclassed when the audition turned to rapid-fire improvisation and sketch games with (or without) props. Eventually, Michel called a halt.

"Thank you for auditioning," he said. "Once the footage has been reviewed, we will post a cast list on the website and contact the people we want to invite to the show. Even if you don't make it, you should be proud of yourselves that you got through the audition. There may also be other opportunities for you to contribute to the show, depending on your other qualifications. Now go watch the acrobats to see who you might have to clown with."

Adrien made his way over to where the acrobats were also finishing up. Marinette was quietly sitting in one of the swings. She brightened up when she saw Adrien, and with the help of a ladder and a little readjusting, they were sitting next to each other on the swing.

"Did you have a good audition?" Marinette asked him.

"I think I did okay," Adrien said. "I do want to know how Kim had an application already filled out for me, though."

"Oh, I did that," Marinette said. "When I saw how many of our friends were auditioning, I was worried that you might not be able to get in just on being my moral support, so I filled out the application for a clown and gave it to Kim just in case it was needed. And I was right."

"You're always thinking ahead, Marinette," Adrien said, wrapping an arm around her and kissing her on the cheek. "I suppose I also have to thank you for doing well in the not laughing part of the audition. You scared me when it looked like you had lost your grip and were going to fall off."

"You've seen me do ankle hangs before, Adrien," Marinette replied, snuggling in close.

"I still worry that one of these days, the silks aren't going to catch you. I wouldn't dream of stopping you from doing what you love, but I would feel better if you wore a helmet or something."

"I should say the same about you when you go out and play parkour, mister," Marinette retorted mock-severely, grabbing Adrien by the shirt and bringing him to her eye level.

"Alix claims the helmet throws off their rotation," Adrien said unapologetically.

"How many broken bones has Alix suffered?" Marinette replied evenly.

"Good point."

"Good boy." Marinette released him and snuggled back up.

"How was your audition? I only saw the one part of it," Adrien said.

Marinette settled into describing for Adrien the floor exercises, the strength tests, the wind sprints, learning the basics of the circus apparatuses, and finally, some of the performances that she saw from the other aerialists.

"Some of these people have been performing like this all their lives," Marinette said. "I'm just a girl with a hobby."

"You have always been able to do amazing things, Marinette," Adrien said, cradling her head next to his chest. "I knew that long before I learned about the other you."

"You're so sweet," Marinette said. "It's a nice bonus to know that you're not just eye candy."

"I'll have you know that I have spent years finely cultivating the image that I am nothing more than eye candy," Adrien said.

Marinette giggled and leaned into him. Adrien felt the swing shift underneath him and grabbed the sides to stabilize himself, causing the swing to rock from the sudden movement. Marinette started laughing, which only made the swing move more, to Adrien's dismay.

Once they finally stopped moving, Marinette slipped off the swing gracefully and held it steady for Adrien to do the same, with a little less grace.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Marinette said, as they were leaving the venue. "After I get done destroying you at H.O.R.S.E., want to check the cast list together?"

"Sure," Adrien said. "André's afterward, so we can bury our feelings in good gelato?"

"Sounds good to me," Marinette replied.

* * *

"Oh, no," Marinette said, sitting bolt upright. "They want me to play Ladybug."

"Accept no substitutes," Adrien said, laughing, before reading over her shoulder as she scrolled to the clown casting list.

"Oh, no," he said quietly, all his previous mirth gone. "They want me to play _Hawkmoth_."

**Author's Note:**

> I borrowed the idea of the burlesque with the Ladybug theme from [Independent Catractor](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11274789), by [Freedom_Shamrock](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freedom_Shamrock/pseuds/Freedom_Shamrock). It's a great story and comes highly recommended, if you want to read it.
> 
> All hail [AlexSeanchai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllieMurasaki/pseuds/AlexSeanchai), a most wonderful beta that makes works (including this one) better.


End file.
